FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:    John Wilson, Lee County Public Safety
                (941) 335-1600

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 8, 2001) – Lee County is one of only 28 counties across the nation to receive a "Disaster Resistant Communities Leadership" Award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and National Association of Counties (NACo).

The award is presented to elected officials who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the area of disaster prevention and mitigation. Award winners are recognized for implementing effective programs that have resulted in a more sustainable, long-term quality of life for their county's citizens.

Board of Lee County Commissioners Chairman Doug St. Cerny accepted the award on behalf of the County Commission at the National Association of Counties 2001 Legislative Conference held earlier this week in Washington, D.C.

Lee County was recognized for its innovative floodplain management through such initiatives as:

• Preserving floodplain open space – since 1981, the county, in concert with other governmental agencies and private foundations, has spent $19 million to purchase 10,500 acres of environmentally sensitive land. This effort has been augmented by the voter approved Conservation 2020 property tax initiative that raises about $12 million a year to buy environmentally sensitive lands

• Adopting and enforcing floodplain regulations greater than required under current National Flood Insurance Program standards.

• Adopting regional water management district regulations and the results of 36 watershed studies defining stormwater events as an engineering and planning tool to guide development.

• Supporting beach restoration projects and adopting a beach management plan, including $24 million of planned beach restoration projects within the next year.

• Supporting channel cleaning projects and flowway diversions – such as Powell Creek, Ten Mile Canal, Six Mile Cypress Slough and Imperial River – to reduce flooding.

NACo honored Lee County for the effectiveness of the initiatives the Board of County Commissioners has adopted and the Board’s recognition that floodplain management is a vital component to any successful comprehensive community planning and sustainability effort.

NACo has 2,016 member counties of the 3,067 counties in the United States.